Carl Landry Injury: Updates on Kings PF's Hip, Likely Return Date

Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry is expected to miss between three and four months after an MRI revealed a torn hip flexor in his ailing left hip, the team announced on Monday.

Dr. William Meyers will perform surgery on Landry's hip on Tuesday morning in Philadelphia. He will then begin a rehabilitation program that will be monitored by the Kings' training staff and doctors. Assuming the timetable is accurate, Landry would return sometime between mid-January and the NBA All-Star break in February.

The team did not reveal when the injury happened, though it acknowledged it occurred in a training-camp practice. Landry has not played in either of Sacramento's preseason games. A strained left hip was cited for his absence in Oct. 10's win over the Los Angeles Lakers, but did not receive mention three days earlier when the Kings lost to the Warriors.

Landry, 30, is in the first year of a four-year, $26 million contract he signed this offseason. He was battling with Jason Thompson to be Sacramento's starting power forward. Regardless of whether he started or came off the bench, first-year coach Mike Malone was relying on Landry to create a formidable offensive pairing in the middle with the newly extended DeMarcus Cousins.

Landry spent last season with the Golden State Warriors, impressing with his ability to stretch the floor and create room for Stephen Curry and others to operate. Golden State allowed Landry to walk into unrestricted free agency after he opted out of his contract, choosing to make a splash by signing Andre Iguodala rather than focusing on retaining Landry or Jarrett Jack.

The offensive onus will now fall on a combination of Thompson and Patrick Patterson in Landry's stead.

Thompson was the Kings' first-round pick in 2008 and has started alongside Cousins for most of the big man's career. The sixth-year forward averaged 10.9 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. Patterson was acquired from the Houston Rockets midway through the 2012-13 campaign in a deal for Thomas Robinson. He averaged 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 24 games with Sacramento.

Landry, who had his best career stretch with Sacramento in 2009-10, has career averages of 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. He's mostly considered a liability on defense, however, with his lack of foot speed and strength posing problems both on the perimeter and down low.